Sovereign of the Ashes

After parting ways with Master Lorianne, Sein felt genuinely refreshed.

Her mastery of dendro elemental magic far surpassed his own.

Some of the insights she shared struck him like a bolt of lightning.

For mages, reaching a higher life level did not automatically translate into greater knowledge.

Specialization was everything. Sein excelled in his own fields, but in areas he had barely explored, even a demigod-level mage could still teach him a thing or two.

Aside from exchanging theories with his mentor, Sein also handed Lorianne the remaining Snowball Flower Essence he had obtained from the Hundred Flowers Worlds, along with several high-grade materials the Alveroth Empire had recently delivered to the Ashen Fortress.

These resources were mostly useful for potion-making.

Of course, he was not exactly giving them away. If he did, Lorianne might very well refuse.

So Sein framed it as a request, asking his mentor to brew him more high-quality healing potions.

And with her apprentice earnestly asking, how could Lorianne turn him down?

She was so kind that she would brew potions even for knights and mages she barely knew.

Naturally, she was even more accommodating toward her own apprentice.

And to be fair, the resources Sein brought her were truly top-tier. Some were things Lorianne rarely had access to herself.

Take the remaining two-thirds of the Snowball Flower Essence, for example. It was produced by a Rank Six plant being and was even rarer than the Magus Alliance’s Amethyst Aphid Honeydew.

The only thing of comparable value might be Activated Flesh Factor from a Rank Six Activator Fairy.

“Letting me refine this essence into potions would basically be a waste. Only if you handle it yourself can its full value be drawn out, Master Lorianne,” Sein had told her earlier.

Lorianne had also taken the time to review the potions Sein refined himself, carefully pointing out where he fell short and what mistakes he still made in apothecary.

Finally, she accepted the Snowball Flower Essence and said, “Using such high-grade materials can indirectly improve your potion-making, but I guess using a Rank Six resource as practice is indeed wasteful. During the Clash of Civilizations, healing potions are precious.”

“Well then, I’ll try my best to refine it for you. You can come collect the potions from me later,” she added.

“Thank you, Master Lorianne!” Sein replied.

***

During his time in the Sanok Star Domain, Sein’s life gradually settled into a steady rhythm.

Most of the time, he buried himself in his laboratory, immersed in research and a variety of experiments.

Every so often, he would visit his mentor or seek out Karazo and the other Klytherans for discussion.

The laboratory inside Ashen Fortress was far more sophisticated than the makeshift setups he had used over the past centuries.

Of course, Sein’s most advanced laboratory was still the one located within the Divine Tower of Ashes back in Magus World.

There, he had access to laboratories spanning hundreds of floors, and he could directly tap into the planar node’s law power.

Throughout his stay in Sanok Star Domain, Sein received neither new war directives from the Magus Civilization nor orders to return home for rest or recuperation.

So he simply stayed put. After all, it made little difference to him where he conducted his experiments.

It was not until a year and a half later that Sein finally received new intel from Grandmaster Feylis.

“I’ve already presented my case to the Magus Civilization’s high command, formally requesting the authority to recruit worlds like the Shadowbat Civilization once the Sanok Star Domain is secured,” Feylis said.

“They approved it. Our upcoming operations will shift toward the Golden Rock Worlds and Arid Expanse World, which has already fallen under the Gallant Federation’s influence. The Wild Gorilla World front will be handled by someone else,” she informed him.

Her words brought a deep sense of relief to Sein.

Feylis continued, “Gregory, Bernice, and the others will be bringing their legions here soon. We’re also expecting reinforcements from several allied worlds that are being redeployed to this star domain.”

Hearing this, Sein asked, “Then is it possible for us to redeploy the Huusians, as well as those from Nexon and Phantom Crow World?”

Feylis replied, “I know you have strong ties with them, but redeploying allied combat legions isn’t something we can just request and expect to be approved. The Magus Civilization’s high command handles those strategic decisions, and legions already in active combat cannot be pulled out on a whim.”

“That said, based on past cases, when the Magus Civilization does redeploy allied legions, they usually take into account the relationships those outsiders have with Magus World’s powerhouses. After all, those foreign deities fight far more effectively when they’re paired with the Magus Civilization powerhouses they already know,” she added.

Sein had heard something like this before, so he nodded in understanding.

Feylis continued, “But the Magus Civilization is more interested in the inert crystal vein you found near Blue Star. A specialized exploration team will be joining us soon. Their mission is to determine the exact reserves of the Gray Quartz.”

“The real reason I was assigned command of the battlefields around the Shadowbat Civilization is you, my grand apprentice. You understand that region better than anyone,” she added quietly.

“Determine the exact reserves of the Gray Quartz? Are you saying its value actually surpasses the combined worth of several medium-sized and low-level world civilizations, including the Shadowbat Civilization?” Sein asked in disbelief.

Feylis looked at him for a long moment before finally nodding. “Yes.”

Sein drew a sharp breath, completely stunned by what he had just heard.

***

Following Feylis’s conversation with Sein, the Sanok Star Domain began to show subtle changes.

Large-scale troop movements and waves of resource mobilization spread once more across the star domain.

But unlike before, these forces and supplies were not directed solely toward the Golden Rock Worlds—they were also being diverted toward the direction Sein had originally come from.

It appeared that the Magus Civilization intended to adopt a two-pronged strategy for the next phase of the war in the Sanok Star Domain.

Master Fathis, the Rank Six Lumimancer, had not been recalled by the high command.

Sein had run into her several times since then.

He could not shake the feeling that the noble and pure Master Fathis harbored a quiet hint of dissatisfaction toward him.

Because of this, Sein ultimately abandoned his earlier plan to sit down with her and discuss the deeper mysteries of the lumen element.

Lorianne had said that Master Fathis and Feylis were close, but why did it feel like that was not the case?